It’s hard to keep the mind on a positive track in this chaotic world and the garden that provides much enjoyment through the year can feel, well, rather uninspiring in winter. But the Prop does not offer winter breaks and SOS continues. After a few mornings of looking at the frosty garden from a distance I went out on a recce. Here’s what I found.
One
First a surprise. The vinca is in flower again. One brave soul sheltering among the leaves. It lifted the spirits.
Two
The viburnum in the front garden that flowers only on one side is true to form this year. But there is promise for the future as there are definitely more flowers than last year.
Three
More encouraging signs. Primroses have been spotted over the last few weeks, just one or two small ones here and there.
Four
Winter berries on a cotoneaster. This has always been a mystery plant in the garden. Variously thought to be villosus or possibly moupinensis, I really have no idea but the black berries look rather bewitching.
Five
While much of the garden is showing off various shades of brown the variegated leaves of euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald Gaiety’ fill a dark corner of the garden. Sometimes known as winter creeper, which seems to be an entirely appropriate name.
Six
Snowberries. Not mine, because my snowberry does not seem to keep its berries. I hope this is because the birds eat them, but it is possibly because every year, several times a year, I go at it with the loppers trying to make some sense of the thicket of stems. I would have dug the snowberry out by but I doubt you can ever dig out a well established snowberry.
Positive vibes restored, it is a Happy New Year. I wish you all happiness and health in the year to come. I’m going to top up the good feelings with a dose of Nina Simone – it’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life for me and I’m feeling good! There is also some blue sky showing through the window so perhaps a spot of rose pruning would be a sensible job to get on with. Happy gardening.
n20gardener 
Our snowberries are covered in berries but no sign of any flowers on the viburnum. Strange life gardening isn’t it! Nice Six.
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Pretty vinca flower among these variegated leaves: I had tried to take cuttings from plants that I found in the wood behind my house, but have no flowers so far.
A Happy New Year to you and yours !
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Nothing quite like variegated leaves to brighten up a winter garden. That little blue vinca was worth going out into the garden to look at. Happy New Year.
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It does always lift the spirits when you see a lone flower or two unexpectedly in winter. I had the same experience with a few primrose flowers just like yours. I rather like those black berries on the Cotoneaster.
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It’s good what you can find in the garden even at this time of year. I have tried to dig out snowberry as it was trying to take over. It was surprisingly difficult. I resorted to glyphosate in the end.
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Happy New Year to you and it’s lovely to see the signs of life in your garden. Just this week I was thinking birds don’t seem to like eating the snowberries as they just sit there on my one plant. Maybe the loppers are the problem as you say?!
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The variegated euronymous almost fell out of fashion for a while but they are outstanding garden shrubs.
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Yes, it is hard to stay positive in these sad times. I find the garden restores my spirit and nurtures the soul. 🙂
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That cotoneaster still looks odd. The fruit resembles aronia. I have never seen a cotoneaster with such darkly colored berries.
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A walk around the garden is such a tonic, even at this time of year. We are lucky. Variegated foliage comes to the forefront at this time of year
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Happy gardening to you too, a chara. Your selection might well have been my exact Six…. Well, five of them anyway. My favourite from your’s is the Euonymus.
Lovely choice of music for the pruning!
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